Addressing Sprinkler System Myths

Fire sprinkler pop quiz. Fact of fiction? A fire sprinkler head is activated by the smoke of a fire. This is fiction. A fire sprinkler head is only activated by the heat of the fire. The only sprinkler systems where smoke comes into consideration are pre-action system, where a smoke detector sends a signal to a water valve to open, charging the sprinkler system. These are not common systems and are used in places where water can be a problem such as data closets.

Fact or fiction. A typical fire in a sprinklered office space will be contained with three or fewer sprinkler heads. The previous question was a hint...This is fact. Even though Hollywood loves to portray a system-wide downpour, since sprinklers are only activated by the heat of the fire, only the couple of sprinklers directly involved will activate.